Eric GriffithHow to Set Up Google Home Parental ControlsWondering how to keep your kids safe while using a smart speaker? The safety options are a bit limited on Google Home, but there are a few things you can do.

You're a parent with a Google Home device, and kids who are smart enough to know how to ask the Google Assistant all sorts of questions. But what happens when they request media content you'd rather they not see?

Thankfully, there are some limited parental controls on the platform, which block explicit content, mainly from Google's own services such as YouTube, YouTube Music, and Google Play Music. For example, you can ask for and control video playback via a Chromecast or a linked smart TV using your voice. Linked services like Pandora and Spotify can also be made less explicit, but not via Google Home.

Here's how to lock down Google Home as much as possible. Just go into this knowing one simple fact about 21st century parenting: there's always a workaround, and the kids will figure out long before you do.

Save Children From YouTube

On the next screen, find the toggle next to YouTube Restricted Mode. All that does is hide any songs or videos on YouTube tagged as containing "inappropriate content." It doesn't matter if you don't find it unsuitable; that's how Google has tagged the content, so that's how it's treated. If you turn this on, it restricts content for all users of the Google Home speaker in question, not just for the kiddies.

Naturally, you can toggle this off any time to open up the floodgates again and start asking Google Home wildly inappropriate questions.

Guard Against Google Play

For this, you have to go to the Google Play Music website (play.google.com/music); the Google Home app won't do it. Visit the menu and select Settings (). Scroll down to the box labeled General and check the box next to "block explicit songs in radio." Again, note that this affects all devices where you access this Google Play Music account, not just Google Home. However, it won't stop explicit content if you play a whole album, according to a caveat listed by Google.

Protect Against Pandora

You don't really get to do this via Google Home. You have to go Pandora's "Explicit Filter" either via pandora.com on a PC or through the Pandora app. On the PC, go to your avatar picture and select Settings > Content Settings, and toggle the switch next to Explicit Content so it turns gray (if it's green, you're letting in all the swears). Click Save Changes. You'll also have to re-enter your password to make this work. AGAIN: this affects all the places you use Pandora, not just on Google Home.

A Softer, Gentler Spotify

Want to turn off explicit content over Google Home when using Spotify? You don't need to. Google Home defaults to playing clean versions of songs and skips any explicit lyrics. The trick is to be able to turn the explicitness back on if you desire.

Unfortunately, that's not an option. Sure, you can go into the Spotify app, sign in and go to Home > Settings (on Android go to Your Library first) and click Explicit Content. Once there, set the switch next to Allow Explicit Content to gray (if it's green, naughty songs get through)—but that only impacts playback on that one device.

That means there's no way to turn on explicit content on your Spotify playback on Google Home. (Some reports online say Google Home arbitrarily picks between clean and explicit songs. We never heard a single swear in tests, so your mileage may vary.)

Shield the Kids With Family Link

If your child is under age 13 and browsing the internet at home on an Android device, you can control a lot of what they access using Family Link. That includes protecting those kids when they talk to Google Home.

Using your child's device—this is easiest with a device running Android 7 Nougat or higher—open Family Link, go into the kid's profile, tap the menu, and pick Sign in to Google Home. You, the parent, will have to sign in with your credentials. The setup prompt your kid to say "Okay, Google" and "Hey Google" several times so the Google Home can learn their voice. Now, go back to your parental Family Link app for controlling what the kids get to see, pick the kid's account, and go to Adjust Settings > Google Assistant.

As it is, kids can't use Google Home to play video or songs from YouTube by default, and Google Play Music only works with a paid family plan. You can turn the use of third-party Assistant apps off or on here, but that's about it for now. However, there are a few non-Google apps that will still work. You'll see a special badge next to them that says "Apps for families on Google Assistant."

About the Author

Eric narrowly averted a career in food service when he began in tech publishing at Ziff-Davis over 25 years ago. He was on the founding staff of Windows Sources, FamilyPC, and Access Internet Magazine (all defunct, and it's not his fault). He's the author of two novels, BETA TEST ("an unusually lighthearted apocalyptic tale"--Publishers' Weekly) an... See Full Bio

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